Chapter 111: Chapter Thirty-Four: Yin-Dark Wood, the Zi Rat of the Twelve Earthly Branches

"Pangzi, come take a look at their four pillars..." Upon discovering this common point, I didn't dare hesitate at all, and called over the Pangzi beside me.

"What's up?" Pangzi dubiously moved his face closer, then used the Zi Ping prediction method to list out the eight characters of the aforementioned victims.

"Huh, how come the zodiac signs of these ten people are all Rat, and their birth hours are all Zi hour?" Pangzi muttered in surprise: "No, no, not only are they Rats."

"Yin-dark wood, weak yang, strong yin..." Pangzi calculated with his fingers for a long time, then sucked in a breath of cold air, widened his eyes in disbelief and said: "They all have the mulberry wood fate, and their eight characters have the Seven Killings entering the palace, killing strong, body weak, born with strong yin and weak yang."

"So what then?" I asked, puzzled. I only know a little about fortune-telling; I could only see that these fate-holders' eight characters were largely the same, aside from weak bodies, I couldn't see anything else. Seeing Pangzi's overreaction, I also couldn't help but feel a bit nervous.

"Nothing much, just that these people's eight characters are similar, all belonging to Yin-dark wood; they won't fly to heaven nor escape to earth." Pangzi rubbed his nose, pursed his lips and said.

"Just like that..." I asked.

"Just like that..." Pangzi nodded as a matter of course.

"Just like that, you're making a fuss over nothing, and you've made me nervous too."

"I thought you wanted to liven up the atmosphere, so I was just cooperating with you." Pangzi shrugged and pursed his lips.

I: …………

"By the way, let me see your eight characters." I turned around to ask Chen Mo, because I clearly remembered that the Snake Infant had once chased and killed her.

Chen Mo let out an ah, stared blankly for a moment, then asked me somewhat bewildered: "What are the eight characters?"

I... a feeling of defeat flashed across my heart; finally I could only plainly tell her to give me her birth year, month, day, and hour, whereupon she suddenly understood and told me her eight characters.

After she spoke her eight characters, I silently thought to myself, indeed it was correct. Because her eight characters were also mulberry wood fate, with the Seven Killings entering the palace, killing strong, body weak, strong yin and weak yang.

"Your eight characters are the same as theirs: your body is weak, and your yin energy is relatively strong..."

Chen Mo is a smart person; even if I didn't say it outright, she immediately grasped the point.

"You mean this monster specifically targets people with this eight-character trait?" Chen Mo frowned, pondered for a moment, then posed a new question to us: "Then why is this monster killing these people?"

I and Pangzi each blankly shook our heads; this world has no special or exotic things, only what is useful to oneself.

For example, the Twelve Earthly Branch Dragon People have no special traits in their eight characters, yet in Henan's history there once occurred a strange affair of massively capturing Twelve Earthly Branch Dragon People, because at the time an evil master needed to practice evil arts, and indispensable was the blood of the Dragon People.

Thus, any eight characters in themselves are not exotic; they only become special when useful to someone, which leads ordinary people to think this fate might be something out of the ordinary.

"Be careful these days; I'm afraid that Snake Infant will come looking for you again." I cautioned Chen Mo.

This matter is full of eeriness everywhere; although I don't know why the Snake Infant wants to collect the souls of those with Seven Killings wood fate, I'm sure it will strike again. Even though it's now been wounded by Little Fat, once its injuries heal—who can dare say it won't come out to harm people again?

"So I'm already ready." A hint of slyness flashed in Chen Mo's eyes.

"Prepared... prepared for what?" I didn't understand what she meant.

With a swoosh, Chen Mo ran into Pangzi's room; a few minutes later, she came out of Pangzi's room carrying a suitcase.

"Actually I've felt strange for a while; that monster ignores so many people but singles me out. Although I don't know what's special about me, for my safety I think I should come over and impose on you for a while." Chen Mo gloated over her own foresight, then she put her hands on her hips and, with an air of you taking advantage, said: "During this time I'll impose on myself, but you don't need to be too formal; I'm an easygoing person."

I: ………… Are you still easygoing? You're being overbearing.

Upon hearing that Chen Mo would move in, Yuan Qiu, who was sitting on the sofa rubbing on liniment, instantly opened his mouth wide, not even noticing when the liniment fell to the floor.

Pangzi, on the other hand, immediately jumped up with a swoosh to oppose.

"No way, absolutely not, you're a police officer and yet you're afraid of death—won't people laugh if you say that? Besides, we're all big men; if a woman like you moves in, how are we guys supposed to live?" Pangzi crossed his arms, fuming, and immediately vetoed Chen Mo.

"Pangzi, don't get worked up; getting worked up won't help! You lot are suspects in the alley homicide case; as a police officer I'm moving in to supervise you—this is only natural." Chen Mo paused, then smiled at Pangzi, pointing at me and Yuan Qiu, and said: "Besides, is this house only yours? Does your solo veto do any good?"

Chen Mo's meaning was naturally to let the brothers vote to decide.

Pangzi glanced at me and Yuan Qiu, then gave a "hehe" smile, raised his eyebrows at Chen Mo, and said: "Officer Chen Mo, do you know what mistake you've made?"

Chen Mo looked left and right doubtfully, turned around, pointed at his own nose, and asked Pangzi doubtfully: "What mistake have I made?"

Pangzi leaned close to Chen Mo, lowered his voice, and said: "Your mistake is......"

"You little shit, you've looked down on us, you've looked down on our brothers' unity—don't you know I'm their boss? Our unity is beyond your imagination." Having just said that, Pangzi laughed triumphantly and arrogantly, looking down at Chen Mo from a high position.

"I have no objection..."

Pangzi's laughter cut off abruptly; he stared wide-eyed in disbelief at me.

At the same time, Chen Mo turned his gaze toward Yuan Qiu; Yuan Qiu, who had previously been beaten badly by him, felt his heart palpitate under that gaze.

Under Chen Mo's oppressive gaze, Yuan Qiu weakly raised his hand: "I... I also have no objection."

"Hiss..." Pangzi sucked in a breath of cold air, staggered back several steps, clutched his chest, his face twitched, and he looked heartbroken.

"You... you bunch of heartless scoundrels, actually betraying me at a crucial moment." With a look on the verge of tears, his eyes welled up, making it easy to suspect his heart had been stabbed by me and Yuan Qiu.

"Alright, since nobody has any objections, I'm going to sleep!" Chen Mo clapped her hands briskly, ignored Pangzi clutching his chest and looking hurt, dragged her luggage into his room.

"You..." After Chen Mo went in, Pangzi right hand covered his chest, left hand made an orchid finger, looking pained as he gazed at us.

"I'm acting from a standpoint of justice; now Chen Mo has become the Snake Infant's prey. With her by our side, we can use our abilities to protect her as much as possible." He clapped his hands, ignored the already immersed and extremely performance-hungry Pangzi, and prepared to go back to his room to sleep.

"Wait a minute, you two don't run." A shout came from behind as Pangzi grabbed the hem of our clothes.

"What's up..." I and Yuan Qiu turned to look at Pangzi, asking in unison.

Pangzi glanced left and right at us, took a deep breath, then lowered his head, dejected, and said: "Fine, I admit it."

"But what about my bed? Where am I supposed to sleep tonight?" Pangzi's voice rose several decibels in succession.

Only then did we realize his room seemed to have been taken over by Chen Mo; the room was gone, so was the bed, so tonight... the only suitable place was the sofa.

At that moment, Yuan Qiu timely let out an "aiyo" cry and crouched down.

"Aiyo, my waist, my hand, this twist really hurts!" He said it was his hand and waist, but he was actually holding his stomach.

"No good, no good, I was hurt too badly by that beauty just now; I need to rest, I need to rest." Yuan Qiu kept saying "no good, no good" while staggering back in a sorry state to his room.

This speed could be said to be faster than a galloping rabbit.

I silently cursed in my heart, inwardly despising Yuan Qiu thoroughly—this guy... really has no class, and worse, he actually abandoned me and ran off.

Seeing Pangzi's pitiful gaze fixed on me, tugging at my sleeve, looking utterly sympathetic, a sense of guilt and compassion welled up in my heart.

I sighed, murmuring softly: "Ah, I might as well sleep in the living room. Although I was born with a weak constitution, my health is poor; I've been frail and sickly since childhood. Although I'm so thin, sleeping on the sofa might catch a chill, maybe even catch a cold.... But for you" I almost counted on my fingers, listing all my innate shortcomings. Finally I firmly grabbed Pangzi's shoulder: "I might as well sleep in the living room."

"Wu-wu" Pangzi sobbed quietly, flung away a handful of snot, tightly grasped my hand and rubbed it: "Good brother, truly a good brother!" Then Pangzi, embarrassed, lowered his head and said bashfully: "You saying that makes me think I should sleep in the living room too; you're not healthy, I've known that since I was little, and now far away from home, if I catch a chill and get sick, the aftereffects could be long."

"No, I'm still sleeping in the living room." I firmly grasped Pangzi's hands and refused with "righteous and solemn" words.

"No, I'm sleeping; whoever tries to take it from me, I'll get angry at them." Having said that, Pangzi plops onto the sofa, clutches it tightly, and falls into a deep sleep, as if afraid someone would try to take it from him.

"Hurry back to sleep—I've trained martial arts all year, my body's top-notch, don't fight me for this sofa; I've liked him since the day I first came to Aomen." The Pangzi, asleep with his head covered, waved his hand at me, urging me to hurry back to sleep.

A warm feeling rose in my heart; this brother truly looks out for others at every turn.

After returning to my room and closing the door, with no one around, I couldn't help making a 'Y' shape in the air. I could no longer hold back the joy of victory, and burst out laughing hehe.

If there were a camera, viewers would see this scene: a lecherous, weak young man sitting behind the door, lecherously rubbing his hands together, rubbing them while smirking triumphantly.

It's true, I screwed over Pangzi… but I think it's a good thing. When a great responsibility is to be laid upon him, one must first strain his muscles and bones, starve his flesh… sleeping on the sofa is a kind of training for him. Moreover, although Chen Mo found a perfectly reasonable excuse to stay, no matter how I look at it, I think Chen Mo's gaze at Pangzi is weird.

Moreover, I earlier divined Chen Mo's birth chart; it forms a perfect heavenly‑earthly triple harmony with Pangzi's, meaning they are absolutely destined to be bound by marriage.

Although Pangzi likes Silijing, from a brother's point of view I think hedging one's bets isn't bad; personally I think Chen Mo is a much better match for him than Silijing.

If those two could really get together, or even add a couple of plump grandsons to the Old Wang family, that would be wonderful too.

Achoo, achoo. As the cool wind blew, my nose itched, and I couldn't help sneezing twice.

Because elders often say, a sneeze means either missing someone or cursing them. So when those two sneezes came out, I instinctively thought Pangzi had discovered my little secret, but then I immediately realized that idea was too far‑fetched; I hastily shook my head, rubbed my itchy nose, and fell into a deep sleep on the bed.

In the middle of the night I quietly got out of bed, tiptoed to the hall, saw Pangzi snoring loudly on the sofa, and carefully opened the hallway door and the windows.

Hehe… If Chen Mo sees Pangzi catching a chill the next morning, he'll surely feel even more sorry for him—then…

The more I thought about it, the more my heart felt like thousands of ants gnawing at it, and I could no longer contain my excitement, eagerly awaiting tomorrow morning's arrival.

I imitated Pangzi's habit, rubbed my hands, glanced at the sleeping Pangzi on the sofa, opened the living‑room windows as much as I could… then… I slipped back to my room, hiding my talent and virtue.

Pangzi… I can only help you up to this point.